“The Minneapolis City Council’s vote today to approve a paid sick days ordinance that Mayor Hodges supports puts the city on track to become the first in the Midwest to ensure that most workers do not have to sacrifice a paycheck or their jobs when they get sick, when they face domestic abuse or sexual assault, or when a family member needs care. This is terrific news for the health and well-being of the 41 percent of workers in the city who currently cannot earn a single paid sick day, as well as their families, employers and communities.
Minneapolis’s paid sick days ordinance is a carefully crafted measure that reflects the growing body of evidence showing that paid sick days benefit workers, businesses and economies. The proposal followed the recommendations of a special working group of business and labor leaders that held several listening sessions with members of the community earlier this year. When the ordinance takes effect on July 1, 2017, people who work for private sector Minneapolis employers with six or more employees will accrue one hour of paid sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year.
The National Partnership commends The Main Street Alliance of Minnesota and TakeAction Minnesota for all of their tremendous work to make this victory for Minneapolis workers and the national paid sick days movement possible. We were proud to support the campaign. Minneapolis now joins 30 other jurisdictions across the country that have established common sense paid sick days standards. As workers, businesses and lawmakers throughout the Midwest and the country continue advancing paid sick days measures, the demand for the federal Healthy Families Act will only grow stronger.”
The National Partnership convenes a broad and diverse coalition that supports the Healthy Families Act, which is now before Congress and would establish a national paid sick days standard. More information can be found at PaidSickDays.org.
